Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology

The discipline of sociology explores the nature, structure, and dynamics of social life, and also its causes and consequences for the world. With this broad mandate, sociology encompasses a diversity of substantive interests, methodological approaches, and theoretical orientations. Sociologists study diverse social phenomena ranging from online conversations, friendship, and families to neighborhoods, governments, and global markets. They study cities and communities, inequality, social mobility and social class, patterns of population change and migration, social identities such as race, class, and gender, ethnic relations and social conflict, social media and digital interaction, and social dimensions of sex, health, business, education, law, politics, religion, and science. Sociologists study the emergence, stabilization, disintegration, and wide-ranging implications of these social institutions, behaviors, and meanings. Methodologies of the field range from ethnography, interviews, and historical research to surveys, computational modeling, and big data analysis.

Applicants to our graduate and professional programs are expected to be enrolled in or to have completed a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university. Applicants from a three-year bachelor’s program will be given due consideration. Because all of our programs feature competitive admission, no particular academic degree or background will guarantee admission to one of our graduate divisions.

English language requirements:

The minimum required score for the TOEFL is 104 overall, with 4 sub scores of 26 each. Minimum required scores in the IELTS are an overall score of 7, with sub scores of 7 each.